The world's highest-altitude tower-type solar thermal power plant, located in Amdo county in the Xizang autonomous region, has completed the installation of its mirrors - 15,927 of them - marking a major milestone toward grid-connected power generation later this year, Xizang Daily reported.

The 100-megawatt solar thermal power station, built by Xizang Development Investment Group, is the first power plant of its kind in Xizang. The project is part of the region's key energy development plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25) and belongs to a broader 750MW solar thermal initiative in the region, it said.

The site in northern Xizang receives more than 2,800 hours of sunshine annually. Spread across a field of 800,000 square meters, the mirrors - called heliostats - reflect sunlight toward a central receiving tower, creating what developers describe as an "ocean of light".

Total investment is more than 2 billion yuan ($300 million).

The project uses advanced molten-salt tower solar thermal technology. The mirrors concentrate sunlight onto the receiver tower, heating the salt to temperatures as high as 560 C. The stored thermal energy is then converted into electricity through a heat exchange system, enabling the transformation of solar energy into stable power output, the report said.

Unlike conventional photovoltaic projects, tower-type solar thermal plants can store heat and continue generating electricity even after sunset, helping to provide stable power for the grid. The project is expected to help address power supply challenges in northern Xizang.

According to estimates, the plant will generate around 255 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, equivalent to 60,000 tons of standard coal. It will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 165,000 tons annually.

Developers said the project also employs intelligent control systems. Key technology research was undertaken to tackle operational challenges in the extreme conditions of the plateau conditions, including ultra-high-altitude, low temperatures, frequent strong winds and weak grid connectivity.

The company is accelerating construction of the receiver tower and power generation facilities to achieve grid-connected operation in October.